Gray Wolf, Washington

Whale Shark, New Guinea

Photograph by Michael Aw

"Suddenly he just jumped in!" says photographer Michael Aw. Sarmin Tangadji, the Papua police officer who escorted the photographic team to where the sharks congregate, "was so excited to see them up close." Aw shares that excitement when it comes to diving with a dozen whale sharks: "You are sandwiched in, sharks ahead and behind, but you want to be there," he says. "They make eye contact with you and then charge by. It blows your mind."

See more pictures from the October 2011 feature story "Sharing With Sharks."

Cows, India

I shot this calf on the road in 2011 on the eve of Diwali at Neyveli, which is my hometown. Due to crackers going off everywhere, the cows couldn’t rest near homes so they sought the middle of the road for rest. The fog, noise, and the backlighting of the streetlight made me take this picture.

(This photo and caption were submitted to Your Shot.)

Lion Pride, Serengeti

A pride of lions behaves naturally for the camera—a remote-controlled car outfitted with still and video cameras to capture the lions at ground level. The equipment was field tested by photographer Michael "Nick" Nichols while on assignment for National Geographic magazine.

National Geographic editor's note: We have received several comments from our readers asking about the radio collar on the female lion at the left of the frame. All of the lions Nichols photographed are part of a long-term study being conducted by the Lion Research Center at the University of Minnesota. The lions were collared for the research project, not to facilitate photography. To learn more about the project, visit www.lionresearch.org.

Canadian Lynx, Yukon Territory

A Canadian lynx is seen in the Ogilvie Mountains (Yukon Territory, Canada) last winter. I followed fresh wolf tracks, north of Tombstone, before I found this lynx enjoying the sunset. I spent three hours with the feline, watching him resting, stretching, and hunting snowshoe hares in the snow.